ISLAMABAD: Members of the US Senate committees on armed services and intelligence, headed by Senator Angus King, called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, the current security situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed, the military’s media wing said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.
The army chief told the delegation that Pakistan wished to maintain “productive bilateral relations” with all the regional players, suggesting that Islamabad did not want to join any bloc in an increasingly bipolar world where the Americans were desperately making efforts to counter the rise of China.
As per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief said Pakistan wanted to maintain productive bilateral engagement with all the regional players and wished for peaceful, diversified, sustained relations.
He also reiterated the urgency for global convergence on Afghanistan to avoid the looming humanitarian crisis and need for coordinated efforts for economic uplift of the Afghan people.
The COAS thanked the senators for their efforts in forging mutual understanding of geo political and security situation in view of challenges ahead.
The visiting dignitaries appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation, special efforts for border management, role in regional stability and pledged to play their part for furthering diplomatic cooperation with Islamabad at all levels.
Members of the US Senate committees on armed services and intelligence, headed by Senator Angus King, are on a visit to Pakistan amid concerns that the Americans may once again ditch Islamabad after its exit from Afghanistan. The delegation also includes Senator Richard Burr, Senator John Cornyn and Senator Ben Sasse.
The senators are visiting Islamabad at a time when US-Pakistan ties have been strained because of a number of reasons. The China-US tussle has further complicated the relationship between the two countries.
Earlier this week, Pakistan turned down a US invitation to a summit on democracy in a decision that seemed to be linked with its close ties with China. China was not invited to the summit and strongly reacted to the US initiative. However, despite skipping the summit, Pakistan is trying to convey a message that it is not going to join any bloc politics.
